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This blog will mainly focus on crime in and around Southwest Missouri....Winner Of Springfield Blogger's Association: ROOKIE BLOG OF THE YEAR 2009--WINNER News or Current Events Blog Of The Year 2010
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On October 27, 2011, authorities were
called to 1322 S. Pennsylvania Ave. after Nichole
Hall, 32, threatened to kill herself and everyone in the house, according to
sources close to the case. Hall was taken to a hospital that evening.

On
October 29th, Hall's boyfriend, Hicks called authorities about 10:45 a.m. after
he returned from the methadone
clinic to say he found 18 month-old Emjay Braxton Corn, whom he left alone, dead in his crib. He told authorities he
had been gone about an hour.

According to the probable cause
statement, Emjay was full clothed and had bruises on his face. Hicks told
investigators that he had "sole care, custody and control of the infant since
October 27th when Nichole Hall (Emjay's mother) was taken for a mental
evaluation."

According to the medical examiner who conducted the
autopsy, "After the injury the child would have been in a comatose state with
death occurring shortly thereafter." Hicks is the only person who had contact
with the baby from the time he was last seen alive until the baby died from
blunt force trauma to the head, according to court documents.

When asked
if Emjay's injuries could have been caused by Hall prior to her hospitalization,
or if the boy could have been dead for several hours or up to a day before
Hicks's timeline, Joplin police Lt. Brian Lewis said at the time, "We're waiting
on a forensic pathologist/anthropologist to establish a timeline in the
case."

Authorities were called back out to the Pennsylvania Avenue house
at least twice after Hall was released from the hospital. "On November 3rd an
officer was requested to call the home and on November 4th there was a follow
up," said Lewis.

Hall had been re-admitted to the mental hospital in
early November but has since been released, according to sources close to the
couple.

Hicks, who is is being held on
$50,000 bond, is scheduled to be arraigned in circuit court on May 21st.